STORY
Labour’s National Executive Committee has appointed Joe Fortune as the party’s new general secretary. Fortune has led the Co-operative Party, Labour’s sister party, since 2017 and has worked within the Labour movement for almost two decades.
Fortune was Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s preferred candidate for the position. He succeeds Hollie Ridley, who oversaw Labour’s campaign during its 2024 general election victory. Labour said membership and income at the Co-operative Party had both increased by approximately 30 per cent during Fortune’s period as general secretary.
Fortune said his new role carried responsibility for helping Labour secure a second term in Government. Burnham described him as an experienced campaigner capable of keeping the party electorally competitive. The appointment places a trusted ally of the Prime Minister in charge of Labour’s organisation, staffing, membership and election campaigning ahead of the next general election.